Insightful Musings on the New Testament
by
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67

Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.

Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray is following, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
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13 July 2010
Passage: 1 Corinthians 6
Focus: “Flee from sexual immorality.” 1 Corinthians 6:18.
                Four simple words are joined together here to form the most profound, viable, and wise advice on the subject of sex that anyone could ever hear.  And yet the history of man, including our own modern society, certainly reveals that men have not, and are not, paying attention.  In fact, our secular environment seems inclined to promote the exact opposite.  Television, movies, books, magazines, and even public schools with their so-called sex education programs, are all effectively promoting old-fashioned promiscuity and sexual immorality. The result is more obvious today than it ever has been.  Marital failure due to adultery, teenage pregnancies due to fornication, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) due to all manner of sexual perversion are at an all-time high.  And HIV/AIDS, already claiming the lives of multiplied millions since its identification in 1982, holds the potential of exterminating the human race.
                The big crusade of a mixed-up world now pushes “safe sex”—which is nothing short of a big lie.  It has proven to have absolutely no statistical effectiveness.  Quite the contrary.  Condoms are being applauded as a kind of magical protection for all sexual dangers to accommodate those who are encouraged to be “sexually active.”  And homosexuality is being presented as a very legitimate “alternative lifestyle.”  But let’s get it straight—THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “SAFE SEX” OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF GOD’S LAWS AND DESIGN.  It is all very dangerous and destructive emotionally, socially, physically, economically, and spiritually.  And according to clear Bible interpretation, if this kind of behavior is not dealt with by sincere confession and repentance, it has the ultimate consequence of excluding people from the Kingdom of God.  That sure doesn’t sound very safe to me.
                I think it is appropriate to observe that the scripture does not say, “Flee from sex.”  For God has clearly designed the gift of sexuality and the “act of marriage” (sexual intercourse) to be realized ONLY within an exclusive marriage relationship where there is one man and one woman, with chastity (virginity) before marriage, and faithfulness after marriage.  That is the true and intended message of Hebrews 13:4: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”  So FLEE FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY, or any other use of sex outside the fence of this standard.  There is no other legitimate view of “safe sex.”  And there is no other righteous advice that can produce desired righteous results concerning the matter of sexuality.
 
                “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  (Romans 12:2)